Portable bath box



Sept 23, 1 969 MuNEHIsA TAT" PORTABLE BATH BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 16, 1967 Figi.

Sept-23,1969 MUNEHISA TAT" 3,467,968

PORTABLE BATH BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 16, 1967 Fig.5.

3,467,968 PRTABLE BATH BX Munehisa ratii, Mito-shi, Iiapan, assigner to Kabushikl Kaisha Hokusan, Sapporo-shi, Japan, a corporation of Japan Filed Mar. i6, i967, Ser. No. 623,584 Int. Ci. A47k 3/22 U.S. Cl. 4-143 4 Claims ABSTRACT @F THE DESCLSURE A portable bath box comprises a cabinet divided into an upper portion and a bottom portion and a bathtub is removably disposed in the bottom portion to define a spill gap between it and the bottom portion for accommodating water overowing from the bathtub. Water contained in the spill gap and bathtub is drained through a duct provided in a leg secured to the bottom surface of the cabinet. For transportation, the upper portion of the cabinet is inverted and inserted in the bathtub thus decreasing the overall height.

This invention relates to a bath box capable of operating as a hot water bath as well as a steam bath.

Many types of portable bath boxes were proposed which can be used in any room of a living house, but they are not satisfactory in the following points. Thus, some of them can operate only as the hot water bath while others only as the steam bath. When using the portable bath as the hot water bath in a living or bedroom, for instance, it is essential to adequately drain both water overflowing from the bathtub and the water contained therein in order to prevent it from ooding the floor of the room. Moreover, as the cabinet must be constructed to have small weight for the sake of transportation it is necessary to properly reinforce the cabinet, especially the bottom thereof. Further it is necessary to mount a hot water boiler and a steam generator upon the cabinet in order to supply hot water into the bathtub and to a shower at the top of the cabinet and steam into the bathtub when the cabinet functions as a steam bath. Prior bath boxes cannot satisfy all the requirements enumerated above.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel portable bath box which can operate as a hot water bath as well as a steam bath.

Another object of this invention is to provide a portable bath box wherein dirty water overflowing from the bathtub and the water contained therein can be adequately drained without ooding the floor.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel cabinet which is properly reinforced.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel cabinet having legs which not only reinforce the cabinet but also serve as an exhaust duct for draining dirty water.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a cabinet of novel construction which can be readily assembled, disassembled and packed into a small size together with the bathtub for convenience of transportation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel portable bath box to which a hot water boiler and a steam generator could be readily mounted.

According to a preferred embodiment of this invention there is provided a portable bath box comprising a cabinet 3,467,968 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 ice made of a synthetic resin or the like and divided into an upper portion and a bottom portion. A bathtub smaller than the lower portion of the cabinet is removably disposed in the bottom portion to define a spill gap between the bathtub and the bottom portion for accommodating dirty water overflown from the bathtub. Hollow legs with a discharge port are provided at the bottom surface of the cabinet to drain the water contained in the spill gap and to reinforce the cabinet. A discharge opening normally closed by a plug is provided through the bottom wall of the bathtub just above the hollow legs to drain the water in the bathtub through said hollow legs. The upper portion of the cabinet comprises two frustoconical sections or base and dome which are interconnected by a shoulder. Thus by inverting the upper portion and inserting the dome thereof into the bathtub, the bathtub can be packed into a small size, thus enabling easy transportation. A suitable hot water boiler is mounted on the cabinet to supply hot water into the bathtub and to a shower provided at the top of the cabinet. Further, a steam generator is associated with the cabinet to supply steam into the space defined by the bathtub and the frustoconical portions when it is desired to utilize the box as a steam bath. When the bathtub is removed, the low portion itself of the cabinet provides a larger bathtub.

The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularly in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as to its organization together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a bath box embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side View, partly in section, of the bath box shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the bath box with accessories such as a hot water boiler and the like removed;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the bath box, showing the lower portion in section;

FIG. 5- is a sectional view taken along a line V-V in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an elevational view, partly broken away, of a portion of the bath box when disassembled for transportation.

Referring now the accompanying drawings, the portable bath box of this invention comprises a cabinet 1 made of a synthetic resin or the like and including an upper or canopy portion 2 and a bottom portion 3. The upper and the lower portions 2 and 3 are assembled by mounting the lower iiange 2 of the upper portion 2 on the upper Iflange 3 of the bottom portion 3, then fitting channel shaped coupling members 4, 4', 4" around abutting flanges 2 and 3 and finally clamping together iianges 2 and 3' by means of clamping screws 5', 5 The cabinet 1 is formed with an entrance 6 through the front wall of the upper portion 2.

The upper portion 2 comprises a base portion 8 having a cross sectional area gradually decreasing from the lower flange 2 toward a shoulder 7 and a dome 9 also having a cross sectional area gradually decreasing from the shoulder toward the top. A bathtub 10` having a height smaller than the height of the upper flange 3 is placed in the bbttom portion 3, the dimension of the bathtub 10 being just enough to align with the lower opening of the dome 9. A spill gap 11 is formed between side Walls of the bottom portion 3 and the bath tub 10, said spill gap beginning from a point between the periphery of the upper opening of the bathtub 10 and the side wall of the lower portion. As shown in FIG. 5, at corners of the periphery 10 enlarged gaps 111, 112, 113 and 114 are formed.

A pair of hollow legs 131 and 132 are provided to project downwardly from the opposite sides of the bottom wall of the bottom portion 3, the interior of said legs constituting an exhaust duct 12. It is preferable to interconnect side legs 131 and 132 with a hollow central leg 133. At a location just above the exhaust duct 12, the bathtub 10 is provided with a discharge opening which is normally closed by a plug 14. The exhaust duct 12 is communicated with the spill gap 11 and the leg 13 is provided with a discharge port or pipe 15 which is connected to a drain hose 16.

As shown in FIGS. l and 2, an instant hot water boiler 33 is mounted on the front wall of the upper portion 2 and a hot water pipe 34 is connected between the boiler 33 and a cock 3S provided within the upper portion 2. Two branch pipes are connected to the cock 3S, one leading to a nozzle 36 adapted to pour hot Water in the bathtub 10, and the other to a shower 38 which is removably hung on fittings 37 and 37. Inside of the entrance 6 of water-proof curtain 39 may be hung. As shown, the upper portion 2 is provided with vent holes 40. Another branch 41 of the hot water pipe 34 is connected to a steam generator 43 by Way of a steam cock 4t2. A steam pipe 44 from the steam generator 43 is introduced in the cabinet 1 through the entrance 6 and extended to the bathtub 10.

In operation, after tiring the instant boiler 33, the cock 3S is operated to feed hot water to the shower or to admit it in the bath tub 10 through a nozzle 36 thus enabling the user to take a hot water bath. Hot water spilling over the bathtub carries therewith soap water and dirt and flows into exhaust duct 12 over the upper edge 10 and through the spill gap 11 and iinally drained through discharge port 15. Upon removing the plug 14, the hot water contained in the bath tub 10 is also discharged from the cabinet 1 through the discharge opening, exhaust duct 12 and through discharge port 15.

Thus, since the cabinet 1 of the bath box according to this invention is made of a rigid material such as a synthetic resin it is convenient to mount the instant hot water boiler at any suitable position. Further, as the entrance 6 is formed by removing a portion of the wall of the cabinet 1 the user can readily enter into the cabinet by stepping over the lower edge of the entrance 6. Moreover, since the bathtub is removably contained in the bottom portion 3 leakage of the bathtub which may occur after long use will be accommodated by the Ibottom portion and therefore flooding of the floor can be prevented. When the discharge port 15 is closed by any suitable means after removal of the bathtub a Wider bathtub can be provided by the bottom portion 3 itself. Moreover, dirty hot water in the bathtub runs over the peripheral edge 10 and then passes to a suitable drain via spill gap 11 so that by constantly supplementing fresh hot water into the bathtub it is possi-ble to constantly maintain clean hot water in the bathtub without emptying it and then recharging a large quantity of fresh hot water. As the spill gap 11 outside the bathtub has a suicient volume that can accommodate a substantial quantity of overflowing hot water there is no fear of ooding over the lower edge of the entrance 6 provided that it has a substantial height. The hot water in the bathtub can be drained by removing the bottom plug 14. Legs 13 provided beneath the bottom portion are different from mere supports but are made hollow to form exhaust ducts 12 therein. Thus, it is not only possible to reduce the weight of legs 13 but also to reinforce the bottom portion 3. As a result it is also to reduce the wall thickness as well as the weight of the *bottom portion which is essential to reduce the overall weight of the bath box ofthe type referred to hereinabove. Provision of the discharge plug 14 just above the discharge duct 12 assures quick drainage of the bathtub. Whereas in the conventional design the bathtub is mounted upon a separate pedestal to effect drainage. Such construction cannot assure sufficiently stability for the bath tub. On the other hand in accordance with this invention the |bottom plate of the bottom porion 3 is directly sup ported by the iloor of the building. Moreover, as the discharge duct 12 is not totally closed by the bottom of the bathtub 1t) `but partially communicated with the spill gap 11 to permit free flow of overilowing hot water into the exhaust duct 12. Since legs 13 are slightly projecting from the bottom plate of the bottom portion 3, it is easy to connect the drain pipe 16 to the discharge pipe 15.

Further, according to this invention because the cabinet 1 is fabricated by interconnecting aligned upper and lower portions 2 and 3 by means of removable coupling members 4, 4', 4" it is possible to readily disassemble the cabinet 1 when it is idle or when it is desired to transport it. Further as the upper portion 2 comprises a frustoconical base portion S and a frustoconical dome 9 interconnected by the shouder 7, it is reinforced by the shoulder 7 and can be made to have thin walls, thus decreasing weight. In addition to the shoulder 7, the dome is proportioned to tit in the bathtub 10 so that once inverted, the upper portion 2 could be housed in the bathtube 10 with the shoulder 7 abutting against the upper peripheral edge 10' of the bathtub, as shown in FIG. 6, thus decreasing the overall volume and height for convenience sake of transportation. In this case as the upper portion 2 is supported by the bottom portion 3 through the bathtub the latter functions as a buffer to prevent damage during transportation. ln this case a suitable packing, not shown, may be interposed between the base portion 8 and the bottom portion 3 to further enhance cushioning effect. Further, various accessories can be conveniently housed in the inverted upper portion 2 and such contained accessories can be well protected against contamination by a suitable lid, not shown, engaging the shoulder 7.

While the invention has been explained by describing particular embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A portable bath box comprising a rigid cabinet made `of a synthetic resin or the like, said cabinet having an entrance through one side wall thereof, a bathtub removably disposed in the lower portion of said cabinet whereby to define a spill gap for accommodating water overowing from said bathtub between said bathtub and said cabinet, said bathtub being provided with a discharge opening normally closed by a plug, a leg projecting downwardly from the bottom wall of said bottom portion of the cabinet, said leg including an exhaust duct just beneath said discharge opening of said bathtub, a portion of said exhaust duct -being communicated with said spill gap, and a discharge port communicating with said exhaust duct.

2. A portable bath box comprising a rigid cabinet made of a synthetic resin or the like, said box including superposed upper and lower portions which are removably assembled by means of a coupling member and said box having an entrance through one side wall thereof; a bathtub removably disposed in the lower portion of said cabinet whereby to define a spill gap for accommodating water flowing from said bathtub between said bathtub and said cabinet, said bathtub being provided with a discharge opening normally closed by a plug; and a discharge port provided for said bottom portion, said d-ischarge port being communicated with said spill gap and said discharge opening whereby to drain water in said spill gap and in said bathtub, and the upper portion of said cabinet comprising a frustoconical base and a frustoconical dome which are interconnected by a shoulder whereby the dome of said upper portion can be disposed in said bathtub when inverted with Said shoulder abutting against the peripheral edge of said bathtub.

3. The bath box according to claim 1 wherein a hot water boiler is mounted on said cabinet to supply hot water to said bathtub.

4. The bath box according to claim 1 wherein a steam generator is associated with said cabinet to supply steam into a space surrounded by sald bathtub and said closure plate whereby to form a steam bath.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 212,081 2/1879 Wolters 4 162 5 911,434 2/1909 Papworth 4-162 964,779 7/1910 Hoiaday 4-162 3,346,884 10/1967 Roy 4 173 FOREIGN PATENTS 10 166,726 2/1950 Austria.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner 15 H. I. GROSS, Assistant Examiner 

